Low-cost and large-capacity hard disks are currently in widespread use. One currently widely accepted practice is that audio data is compressed and recorded using the MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III) method and the ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) method.
Along with this trend, so-called ripping is widely accepted. In the ripping operation, audio data recorded on a CD (Compact Disk) is compressed and recorded onto a hard disk for storage. The ripping operation is performed by personal computers, for example. Audio equipment may be supplied with a disk drive replaying the CD and a hard disk attached thereon. Such audio equipment may also perform the ripping operation.
If audio data such as a great deal of musical compositions is stored onto a hard disk through the ripping operation, a user is freed from inconveniences, such as replacing one CD with another CD having an album the user desires most to listen to, and enjoys music listening environment more than before.
When all content of the album of the CD, namely, all tracks (programs) recorded on the CD, are ripped in the ripping operation, all tracks recorded on the CD, which is a rip source, are unconditionally transferred to a hard disk for recording. In the discussion that follows, the term synchronized ripping refers to the recording of the tracks on the hard disk that is performed in synchronization with the content of the CD when all content of the album of the CD is transferred to the hard disk in the ripping operation.
Data is managed by program in media such as the CD. The program typically refers to as a track. In the description of this embodiment, the program recorded on the CD is also referred to as the track.
When the user rips data from a CD, music of some tracks only is frequently ripped from the CD.
For example, the user now desires to rip all tracks of the CD, from which the user has already dipped some tracks, and performs synchronized ripping on the CD.
In the CD synchronized ripping, as already discussed, all tracks recorded on the CD are unconditionally transferred to the hard disk for recording. Some tracks, which have already ripped, from among all tracks that are going to be ripped this time, are duplicated in the recording on the hard disk.
If the same tracks are duplicated on the hard disk, the capacity of the hard disk is consumed in vain. In other words, data that is already stored through a ripping operation is preferably prevented from being duplicated in the recording on the hard disk.
Another drawback is discussed below.
Time required to rip one CD is several minutes to tens of minutes depending on performance of a ripping system and replay time of the CD, and is not a short period of time. Time required to rip the CD is preferably shortened as much as possible.
If the ripping operation is performed in the CD synchronized ripping method, all tracks are replayed from the CD, and are transferred to the hard disk for recording. This means that tracks ripped in the past, expected to be duplicated, are also transferred from the CD to the hard disk.
The tracks that are going to be recorded in duplication are replayed from the CD and recorded on the hard disk. Ripping time is prolonged in vain accordingly. The CD synchronized ripping operation is not sufficient from the standpoint of fast operation.
To prevent the tracks from being recorded on the hard disk in duplication in the above-referenced CD synchronized ripping operation, a user must select tracks to be ripped from the tracks recorded on the CD before the ripping operation.
To select tracks, the user first must check to see whether the tracks recorded on the rip source CD are duplicated on the hard disk.
To check a duplication, the user must be provided with a user interface that allows the user to visually recognize the content of the tracks recorded on the CD and the content of the tracks currently recorded on the hard disk as a result of ripping. Such a user interface is typically available in the ripping system using a personal computer.
The user thus recognizes already ripped tracks using a system such as the above-mentioned personal computer. Dedicated ripping apparatuses typically have a small display on the body thereof, and it is not practical for the dedicated ripping apparatus to present the display of a track recorded on the rip source CD and a track already recorded on the hard disk. In this case, the user must replay the tracks recorded on the CD and the hard disk to check the duplication. Such an operation is inconvenient to the user.
The system such as the personal computer is usable, but the user must still perform a operation particular for checking and ease of use is not provided.